10 Dec 2010

Wow, happy Friday Cleveland. What a winter week we’ve had. The snow, the traffic, the sparkling winter decorations, it’s all just lovely.

Thank you to everyone who have commented on Day 1, 2 & 3 of the holiday giveaway. Your comments and facebook traffic have been a great way to support these local businesses and for that we are thankful….Now, onto today’s goods…

Have you ever been inspired to stay in with a group of friends on a Friday and cook a feast fit for a king, all while picking up some new culinary tips (knife skills perhaps?) while downing your favorite cocktail or vino?

If you answered YES have you heard of Gatherings Kitchen? A professional culinary kitchen located in a charming storefront in Lakewood, this complete gourmet catering operation is the brainchild of Chefs and fellow entrepreneurs, Ruth and Doug.

While their weekends and most weeks are filled withwriting recipes, shopping for the finest ingredients, teaching aspiring chefs-both young & old(er) new techniques, catering intimate dinner parties, corporate lunches, hosting birthday, anniversary and engagement soirees, Ruth and Doug take time every week for an event near and dear to their hearts called “Supper Club.”

Once a week you have the opportunity to gather together with a group of fellow food enthusiasts to work on a common goal, a Friday night meal. The menus are pre-set monthly and focus around the time of the year or what’s in season. You enter the warm dining room, drop your bags and bottles of wine at the door and let the evening unfold. Everyone is introduced, the menu gets presented and then the individual recipes divided up. Once the cooking begins the sound level in the kitchen gets louder and louder, or perhaps that’s because of the BYOB beverages.

After dinner has been prepped, the Chefs send you into the dining room where all of your creations are then served to you in a formal “going out to dinner” manner. No details unturned, so much food you can’t imagine, so much fun learning about new recipes and new people.

For todays giveaway Gatherings Kitchen would like to offer i heart cleveland readers a pair of “Supper Club” passes (valued at $110). So invite your fellow foodie to enter the contest to increase your chances of winning.

To enter please “Like” Gatherings Kitchen on thier Facebook page and tell us why you would like to attend a Supper Club. Are you looking to learn to make pasta? Are french maccaroons something you’ve been hoping to master (that one would be mine)? Do you like the idea of communal cooking? Why would you like to be part of a weekly Supper Club? (please include your email, winner will be drawn Thursday, December 16th)

On a similar food note, please take the time to read my fellow blogger and friend Cleveland Foodies post about the aspiring program called Veggie U. This national orgainzation gives teachers and students the opportunity to educate and learn more about nutrition, agiriculture, farming and the like. There are 157 participating classrooms in Northeast Ohio and we MUST support this continued leaning. Donate today to this intitiative and have the opportunity to win over $2,000 worth of gift cards to area restaurants, just for donating. It’s a win win for everyone. Winner will be drawn December 23rd, please support this effort.

I’ve been to a few supper clubs, and every time I learn something new. If it weren’t for Doug and Ruth, I wouldn’t know how to properly dice an onion, or seed a jalapeno. I love supper club because you can never be a good enough cook, especially in our foodie city!

I just liked that page! I absolutely love to cook! Would really love to know more about various pasta types and how to make them. I already make fresh pasta and stuff it! I would also love to know more about pairing different foods with different wines!

I would love to go to a cooking club because I’ve been before and had a WONDERFUL experience. Ruth and Doug are excellent teachers, and it’s amazing how many tips and tricks you can pick up in one evening. It’s fun to make something you’ve never made before with every kitchen gadget at your disposal. I enjoyed making homemade tortillas so much I went out and bought a tortilla press. I would gladly spend any night of the week in the kitchen at Gatherings!

I would love to attend a cooking class because both my husband and I enjoy cooking, and would love to have some formal training. It would also be fun to meet new people who we obviously share at least one common interest with!

Gatherings is a great place to learn new food techniques while enjoying the company of those who attend. You get to sit and relax while tasting the food you learn to prepare in the huge dining room. Supper club is great motivation to get out with family and friends while learning something new.

I’ve attended one other Supper Club and would love the chance to be introduced to another type of food I don’t have experience making. I never thought I would make homemade ice cream, but I did at Supper Club. I’m up for another adventure!

To “like” Gatherings on facebook is just not enough. Where’s the “LOVE” button??? Doug and Ruth do such a phenomenal job with their supper club. There’s nothing else like it in the city! Us Clevelanders are so lucky! I’d love to attend another Supper Club because I’m getting hungry. :)

I “liked” Gatherings on Facebook and I would love to win this because I have wanted to try this for a while now and just haven’t gotten it together to actually do it. Plus, any improvement to my cooking would be helpful.

I’ve always wanted to take cooking classes, and love the idea of a supper club.
What a great way to meet new people, support local business, enjoy a few cocktails, and improve skills in the kitchen! :)

I’d love to win because I know how amazing it is and I’d like to introduce a non-cook I live with to the concept so he realizes cooking can be more fun, especially when you are learning tips and techniques to make it all into a great meal!

I’d love to win the Supper Club passes so my husband and I can learn/practice more tips and techniques for entertaining. As newlyweds with a kitchen full of gifts from our wedding waiting to be used, we are anxious to invite friends over but don’t even know where to begin with planning and prepping. Besides that, a night full of food & wine induced debauchery in Lakewood sounds divine! :-)

I would love to win the two tickets to gatherings kitchen because it would make a great wedding gift for my fiancé. We have always shared a love for great food & each other & this would be a perfect way to celebrate our marriage (coming up January 11th!). Money has been really tight this year, but we are determined to make our 40 person Vegas wedding happen no matter what. The only drawback is that we have had very little time or money for ourselves. This would be an amazing treat for both of us! We could both use some fun, food, & relaxation to offset this holiday/pre-wedding “crunch” time. = )

Ruth showed me how to use a knife properly when cleaning lamb chops. Now I have no fear doing it by myself. The reason I would like to attend the Supper Club is because I want to learn more and to enjoy the company of the Chefs and guests.

My boyfriend and I love to cook together. We found out about Gatherings Kitchen right before he left for Afghanistan. Unfortunately, we didn’t have a Friday that we could make it before he left. However, he will be home in 2 and a half months, and this would be a fun activity for us to do when he comes home.

Charity! I’m so far behind because work is insane! But I would ABSOLUTELY LOVE to win this Gatherings Kitchen prize! After meeting the owner and having dinner with her and her delightful friend ;) – I haven’t been able to stop thinking about what a fun experience a night at Gathering would be!!!